Rural mail-delivery cabinet.



4E. PAULsoN.

PATENTBD' MAY 14, 1907.-

RURAL MAILDELIVERY. CABINET.

PPLIUATION FILED SEPT.'4. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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ELnoKPAULsoN,

OF OSAGE, IOWA.

RURAL MAIL-DELIVERY CABINET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented `May 14, 1907.

Application filed September 4,1906. Serial No. 333,134.

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELECK PAULsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Osage, in the county of Mitchell and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rural Mail-Delivery Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple form of handy cabinet which is particularly designed for use by rural mail carriers, to be mounted upon the delivery vehicle which may be a buggy or the like, and comprising a number of compartments in which mail may be sorted convenient to be delivered by the carrier en route.

For afull understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which: Y

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cabinet embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section. Fig. 3 is avertical transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the case which is placed inv the central compartment of the cabinet. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a buggy body with the cabinet mounted thereon.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Specifically describing the present inven tion, the numeral 1 indicates a cabinet which is preferably of somewhat rectan ular form and which is designed to be attac ed to the front portion of the body of a vehicle, such as a buggy, as illustrated in Fig. 5, any suitable means such as supporting brackets being attached to the vehicle body 2 andv having detachable connection with the cabinet 1 preferably. In applying the cabinet to a buggy body such as shown in Fig. 5, the dashboard ordinarily located at this portion of the vehicle is dispensed with. The cabinet 1 is open at one side thereof and is divided by a plurality of partitions 3 into a number of compartments designated 4, 5 and 6. The compartment 4 is preferably used to contain the more bulky mail matter which isl to be delivered by the mail carrier and papers and packages are therefore preferably placed in said compartment 4 to which ready access may be had whenever necessary to remove a piece of mail matter'therefrom.

\ In the central compartment 5, which is adapted to be closed at its front by means of a door 7 of any suitable type, is located a casing 8 which casing is divided into a number of small pigeon-holes 9 in the uppermost of which may bev received a receipt book and in the .two lowermost of which v may be arranged postal cards and envelops to be dispensed to the patrons of the rural free delivery while the carrier is on the route. Small drawers l() to receive stamps and cash are located below the pigeon-holes 9 and just above a small compartment 11 in which the carrier may dispose letters which are handed to him by patrons to be mailed when he returns to the post oflice or placed in a mail box not convenient tothe persons from whom the mail is received. The casing 8 is bodily removable from the compartment 5 and if desired the door 7 may be provided with a suitabe lock so as to prevent unauthorized persons from having access to the various portions of the casing 8 containing contents of value.

The compartment 6 is the container preferably, of the letters which are to be delivered by the rural carrier and said compartment 6 has a movable follower 12 arranged therein for vertical movement and adapted to bear down upon the letters which are arranged in the compartment 6 to prevent accidental displacement of said letters, but permitting of readily removing a letter, or more than one letter, 'at a time, to be delivered to the addressee or addressees thereof. The follower 12 is quite narrow and is arranged so as to extend from the back of the compartment 6 forwardly toward the open front of the compartment. is secured to a transverse bar 13 over which bar passes a cord or flexible connection 14 opposite ends of which are wound about a spring actuated roller 15 which is arranged beneath the compartment 6 and which is mounted preferably in brackets 16 which are secured in any substantial manner to the bottom of the cabinet 1. A clock spring 17 or spring of a similar nature is connected with the roller 15 at one end thereof and normally tends to wind the tension cord or connection 14 thereupon, the tension exerted by the roller 15 being sufficient to cause the follower 12 to bear down upon the letters in Said follower 12 95 IOO such a way as to accomplish the result hereinbefore mentioned. T e connection 14 is readily detachable from the bar 13 as the said connection passes through notches in g the end of the bar. Said bar 1'3 is prevented from being displaced from its proper position, or pulled outwardly with the letters removed from the compartment, by means of stop strips 18 which are applied to the opposite Walls of the compartment 6 and which engage the opposite end portions of the bar 13 and limit or prevent any outward movement thereof.

It is desirable, in order that the letters to be placed in the compartment 6, may be conveniently and easily disposed therein, that l the'follower 12`and the bar 13 be in a position such that they do not interfere with the above operation. For this purpose it is contemplated that supporting projections or members 19 shallbe attached to the innerA sides of the opposite walls of the compartment 6, a short distance in rear of the stop strips 18 and spaced a short distance from the top of the cabinet 1. The strips 18 ineline forwardly somewhat at the upper ends thereof so thatl the parts 12 Aand 13 may be raised until the bar 13 is almost in contact with the top of the cabinet at which point there will be a slight amount of play between the rear endof the follower 12 and the back of the cabinet, such play' ermitting the bar 13 to be moved rearward y andengaged with the upper sides of the projections or supporting members 19. When the bar 13 is engaged with the members 19, the bar l 13 with its follower 12 will be out of the-way during the initial operation of arranging the mail matter in the compartment 6 of the cabinet.

A cabinet such as hereinbefore described is extremely convenient for use by mail carriers in rural delivery systems as it contains mail matter in separate compartments convenient for access, contains such salable: matter as it is customarily necessary to take along while en route, and carries the mail to be delivered, especially the letters, in such a manner thatthe same may be quickly displaced and yet always remain 1n unaltered arrangement until delivered.

It is to be understood that the compartment 6 is designed to receive letters, papers l or any similar articles of mail matter, in the practical use of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a mail cabinet for rural free delivery systems and embodying a compartment to receive mail matter, a follower arranged in said compartment to bear against the mail matter received thereby, tension means connected with said follower to cause the same to exert a pressure upon the mail matter, stop strips for directing the movement of the follower and preventing displacement thereof, and supporting means for cooperation with the follower to hold the same in inoperative position.

2. In a mail cabinet for rural free delivery ,systems and embodying a compartment to receive mail matter, a follower arranged in said compartment to bear against the mail matter received thereby, tension means connected with said follower to cause the'same tol exert a pressure upon the mail matter, stop strips for directing the movement of the follower and preventing dis lacement thereof, a bar attached to the fcglower, and supporting members applied to opposite sides of the casing of the compartment aforesaid to engage the bar of the follower and hold the vfollower in inoperative position.`

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELECK PAULSON.

Witnesses: f

WM. H. SALIsBUnY, CLARA R. WHITLEY. 

